History Literature / UnfinishedTalesOfNumenorAndMiddleEarth

* TheChessmaster: In "The Quest of Erebor" (a "special feature" of ''Literature/TheHobbit'') when Gandalf and the dwarves [[YouAllMeetInAnInn met at Bree]] before visiting Bilbo, Thorin accuses Gandalf of having more in his mind than Thorin's troubles. Gandalf replies that of course he did - he was a [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] and that was why his advice was so good.

* AltarDiplomacy: Ancalimë initially likes the shepherd boy Mámandil, but he scotches it when she demurs from his proposal and he reveals that he's actually the son of a nobleman to make himself more suitable. She instead becomes angry that he's been lying to her, but she eventually marries him anyway so she can keep the throne away from her cousin (as female heirs to Númenor's throne were required to either marry or pass the Sceptre to a male relation).

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: HeroicFantasy-style adventures, epic tales of the struggle between the Free Peoples and the forces of Morgoth and Sauron, histories of the ancient land of Westernesse, explanations of how palantíri worked and who the Drúedain were... and in the midst of it all, an incredibly mundane tale of [[BoyMeetsGirl how a man and woman fell in love]], got married, [[AwfulWeddedLife came to blows]], and split up.

* ActionGirl: [[{{Rewrite}} In some versions]] Galadriel wielded a sword at the Kinslaying at Alqualondë on the part of the Teleri, her mother's people.

* NobleSavage: The Drúedain, also known as Wild Men and Woodwoses, who are somewhat like Neanderthals in appearance. They also have [[EthnicMagician magic powers.]]

* DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou: Turns out all those years Aldarion was missing from home (time his own wife spent instructing their daughter to hate both him and men in general), he was helping the Elves and Men of Middle-earth prepare against the upcoming threat of Morgoth's former servant: Sauron.

* TheChessmaster: In "The Quest of Erebor" (a "special feature" of ''Literature/TheHobbit'') when Gandalf and the dwarves [[YouAllMeetInAnInn met at Bree]] before visiting Thorin accuses Gandalf of having more in his mind than Thorin's troubles. Gandalf replies that of course he did - he was a [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] and that was why his advice was so good.

* WorthyOpponent: In "Cirion and Eorl," an ancient campaign between Gondor and its allies against the [[TheHorde Wainriders]] is opened by Gondorian agents engineering a slave revolt in the Wainriders' country while the men were away at war. The Wainrider [[ActionGirl women]] defend their homes against the rebels and are praised for their valor. Interestingly this is one of the few times Tolkien uses this trope in detail, although it is implied elsewhere that Easterlings and Haradrim have {{Worthy Opponent}}s among them.

* HiddenDepths: The Quest of Erebor reveals that Thorin was far more conflicted and doubtful than his proud and egotistical behaviour in ''The Hobbit'' lets on, to the point where he almost called the whole thing off in Bag End.

* ContinuitySnarl: Christopher notes that "The History of Celeborn and Galadriel" is a truly unfinished tale that never received a definitive form. Depending on the version, Galadriel joined Fëanor and his sons in revolt[[note]]this version made it into the published Silmarillion[[/note]], joined them in revolt but fought for the Teleri at the Kinslaying, or made her way to Middle-earth independently at the same time and therefore fell under the Doom of Mandos. And she either met Celeborn when she got to Doriath[[note]]again, the version that appears in the published Silmarillion[[/note]] or in Aman before she ever left. Celeborn was also variously a Sindar and a Teleri, the latter of which would have made him [[KissingCousins Galadriel's cousin]], which conflicted with the fact that Elves never married so closely. Tolkien was still trying to disentangle their history and find a form he liked in the final months his life - Christopher reckons part of their history was his very last writing on Middle-earth.

* ContinuitySnarl: The History of Celeborn and Galadriel which Christopher Tolkien notes is truly a unfinished tale that never received a definitive form.
* {{Curse}}: Túrin.
* DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou: Turns out all those years Aldarion was missing from home (time his own wife spent instructing their daughter to hate him, and men in general), he was helping the Elves and Men of Middle-earth prepare against the upcoming threat of Morgoth's former servant: Sauron.

* PerspectiveFlip: "The Quest for Erebor" is the events of ''The Hobbit'' (and preceding it) from Gandalf's perspective.

* TheChessmaster: In "The Quest of Erebor" (a "special feature" of ''Literature/TheHobbit'') when Gandalf and the dwarves [[YouAllMeetInAnInn met at Bree]] before visiting Thorin accuses Gandalf of having more in his mind than Thorin's troubles. Gandalf replies that of course he did - He was a [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] and that was why his advice was so good.

* DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou: Turns out all those years Aldarion was missing from home (time his own wife spent instructing their daughter to hate him, and men in general), he was helping the elves and men of Middle Earth prepare against the upcoming threat of Morgoth's former servant: Sauron.

* DirtyCoward: In two different drafts, one of Saruman's men (either Wormtongue or the "squint-eyed southerner") betrays him to the Witch-King under threat of torture, and reveals that Saruman had been lying about not knowing where the Shire was.

* GondorCallsForAid: Not the TropeNamer, yet the original, which resulted in the creation of Rohan. While losing badly in a war with Easterlings, Gondor made a last-ditch hopeless call for help to the northern horse-lords (known then as the Éothéod), with whom they were friendly but had no formal relations. Eorl didn't send an answer back, which made the Gondorians even more despairing, but that was because Eorl was coming himself with ''all'' of his warriors. The ruling Steward of the time granted Eorl the mostly-uninhabited lands to the north, turning the Éothéod to the Rohirrim.
* TheHandler: In "The Hunt for the Ring" The Witch-King captures an agent of Saruman's and intimidates him into serving Sauron.
* HiddenDepths: The Quest of Erebor reveals that Thorin was far more conflicted and doubtful than his proud and egotistcal behaviour in ''The Hobbit'' let on, to the point where he almost called the whole thing off in Bag End.
* LastStand: "Disaster of the Gladden Fields".
* MasterArcher: Duilin of Gondolin is referred to as the "swiftest of all men to run and leap and surest of archers at a mark".
* MayflyDecemberRomance: Aldarion and Erendis on Númenor. Aldarion as a member of the royal house of Númenor lived 398 years; Erendis lived only 214 years. Making matters worse, Aldarion spent many of those years on long voyages to Middle-Earth. Erendis was not happy; their daughter, the future queen Tar-Ancalimë was severely scarred.

* NobleFugitive: Túrin

* PlotHole: One draft of the story noted that the Witch-King knew the location of Bree and the surrounding area, which makes it odd that he didn't know where the Shire was.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: HeroicFantasy-style adventures, epic tales of the struggle between the Free Peoples and the forces of Morgoth and Sauron, histories of the ancient land of Westernesse, explanations of how palantir worked and who the Druedain were... and in the midst of it all, an incredibly mundane tale of [[BoyMeetsGirl how a man and woman fell in love]], got married, [[AwfulWeddedLife came to blows]], and split up.
* TheSpymaster: The Witch-King in "The Hunt for the Ring."
* WorthyOpponent: In "Cirion and Eorl" an ancient campaign between Gondor and its allies against the [[TheHorde Wainriders]] is opened by Gondorian agents engineering a slave revolt in the Wainriders' country while the men were away at war. The Wainrider [[ActionGirl women]] defend their homes against the rebels and are praised for their valor. Interestingly this is one of the few times Tolkien uses this trope in detail, although it is implied elsewhere that Easterlings and Haradrim have {{Worthy Opponent}}s among them.
* YouAllMeetInAnInn: "The Quest of Erebor".

* DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou: Turns out all those years Aldarion was missing from home (time his own wife spent instructing their daugther to hate him, and men in general), he was helping the elves and men of Middle Earth prepare against the upcoming threat of Morgoth's former servant: Sauron.

* PoorCommunicationKills: Partial example in "Aldarion and Erendis"; apparently he never thought of mentioning that while he was off cruising, he was helping the elves fortify against Sauron.

* DirtyCoward: In two different drafts, one of Saruman's men (either Wormtongue or the "squint-eyed southerner") betrays him to the Witch-King and reveals that Saruman had been lying about not knowing where the Shire was.

* DidYouJustScamChtulhu: It's revealed that Gollum lied to Sauron under torture regarding the Shire's location. He gets away with it because Sauron doesn't consider why Gollum would be motivated to do so.

''Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth'' by Creator/JRRTolkien, or ''Unfinished Tales'' for short, was the first posthumous publication of unfinished and fragmentary material that forms part of the {{backstory}} of ''Literature/TheHobbit'', ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and [[TheVerse Middle-earth]]. It was compiled and edited by the author's son Christopher Tolkien, who had also assembled ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' from such material (with the help of Creator/GuyGavrielKay). This particular book was created because Christopher Tolkien had learned that sales of his father's works were ''not'' slowing down but ''growing''. It was first published in 1980.

''Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth'' by Creator/JRRTolkien, or ''Unfinished Tales'' for short, was the first posthumous publication of unfinished and fragmentary material that forms part of the {{backstory}} of ''Literature/TheHobbit'', ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and [[TheVerse Middle-earth]]. It was compiled and edited by the author's son Christopher Tolkien, who had also assembled ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' from such material (with the help of Creator/GuyGavrielKay) after learning that sales of his father's works were ''not'' slowing down but ''growing''. It was first published in 1980.

''Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth'' by Creator/JRRTolkien, or ''Unfinished Tales'' for short, was the first posthumous publication of unfinished and fragmentary material that forms part of the {{backstory}} of ''Literature/TheHobbit'', ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and [[TheVerse Middle-earth]]. It was compiled and edited by the author's son Christopher Tolkien, who had also assembled ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' from such material (with the help of Creator/GuyGavrielKay). It was first published in 1980.

** There's the UnfortunateImplications that the existing small population don't matter. The survivors (who aren't killed, enslaved or assimilated) are the ancestors of the Dunlendings, and the two peoples are still doing nasty things to each other five hundred years later, but no-one ever seems to join the dots between this and Cirion's mismanagement.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: HeroicFantasy-style adventures, epic tales of the struggle between the Free Peoples and the forces of Morgoth and Sauron, histories of the ancient land of Westernesse, explanations of how palantir worked and who the Druedain were...and in the midst of it all, an incredibly mundane tale of [[BoyMeetsGirl how a man and woman fell in love]], got married, [[AwfulWeddedLife came to blows]], and split up.